Highway to the Danger Zone
by Thunderbyrd
Summary: What started out as a routine delivery job for youngsters K.O. and Dendy soon turns into a no-holds barred go-kart race though the apocalyptic badlands of the Danger Zone, facing against metal scorpions and robot bikers. Will our heroes escape the Danger Zone alive? Most likely, yes, but let's still check out the action!
1. Chapter 1: Special Delivery, Part Deux

**What's this? Another OK K.O. fic...but this one is not a fluffy comfort fic based around Enid? THIS IS MADNESS I TELLS YA!**

 **Anywho, for this story, it was somewhat inspired by the Dendy's buggy mini-game from the show's mobile game, only instead of K.O. and Dendy going up against Miss Quantum, they will go up against some other enemies. What enemies will they go up against? I'd rather not spoil it yet, so let's kick it into high gear with "Highway to the Danger Zone"! (Also, this is supposed to be set right after "Special Delivery")**

 **OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes is owned by Ian Jones-Quartey and Cartoon Network. (I do not own any of its characters nor its properties. This is purely a non-profit story made for fun.)**

* * *

 **HIGHWAY TO THE DANGER ZONE**

 **CHAPTER ONE: SPECIAL DELIVERY, PART DEUX**

"You're asking me to do _what_ , sir?" asked the young hero-in-training meekly, his wide eyes shimmering in surprise.

The boy's boss, the bulky, god-like Level 11 hero looming over the young lad, like a walking skyscraper, cleared his throat and repeated his statement.

"K.O., I'm asking you to go on a special mission to deliver a package to a customer living in the Danger Zone desert. It's an urgent job and since Rad and Enid proved that the new delivery service works efficiently, I decided to continue using the service to up our sales quota. Plus, considering the customer already paid up front, all you have to do is ensure that the package arrives at his house, intact and on-time today..." explained Mr. Gar importantly.

K.O. nearly doubled over in shock. Having Mr. Gar trust him with such an important delivery made his heart swell and his excitement reach impossibly-high levels. Rad and Enid, who were both idling by the cash register looked on at the display with bemusement...but also with some concern.

"Uhh, Mr. Gar, sir?" asked Enid cautiously, "Isn't a job like this kinda too...extreme for the kid? This _is_ the Danger Zone we're talking about…" Mr. Gar craned his neck towards the two teens.

"I understand that the area is very precarious, but this is an urgent job and I need you both here to stay and tend to our busy Super-Saturday-Sale. I need experienced workers like you two to handle these crazy shopaholics." explained Mr. Gar huffily. Rad and Enid rolled their eyes in annoyance.

"Besides," Gar finished in a more jovial tone, "considering that you both handled the last delivery job very well, I figured that K.O. could do as well as you two did!" Rad, meanwhile, looked at his boss with confusion.

"Yeah, but, didn't _you_ stage that job as a test to strengthen our friendship, thou-"

" _Anyways_ ," Gar quickly cut in, "you guys are busy here, so K.O. will have to make this delivery!" Now putting on a more serious demeanor, he knelt down, looked down at K.O. eye-to-eye, and placed a fatherly hand on his shoulder before asking…

"K.O., can I trust you to make sure that you can get the package delivered on time and safely?" he rumbled softly.

K.O. was so awestruck by being given this much responsibility that his noodly legs nearly gave out on him. Still, he put on a brave face and looking him back in the eye, he saluted to the statue-esque man and stated in a loyal and proud voice,

"By the power and glory of the bodega and all its patrons, I promise to deliver this package safe and sound and right on time to its proprietor, sir!"

Mr. Gar nodded proudly, and without another word, he placed a small, yellow crate into K.O.'s sweaty, trembling little hands.

"I have faith in you, child. Be sure it gets there by 7:00 PM sharp…" he reminded, before turning his heel and back into his office. Just as he left, K.O. zipped towards the register counter, bouncing in circles around his best friends. K.O. was so enthralled and so full of pep he thought he was gonna burst!

"Flippy whip-whippy!" he cheered, "My first ever important delivery job! Once Mr. Gar sees how great I do on this job, he'll be _so_ proud of me and he'll see what a great hero I am!" The teens looked down at their friend, but despite them being happy that Mr. Gar trusted their little friend with such an important task, they still felt concerned.

"That's great, kiddo, but you do realize where you'll be delivering this package to, right?" explained Enid worryingly.

"Yeah," put in Rad, "No offense, but the Danger Zone's not exactly a kid-friendly place. Even Enid and I had some trouble when we last went down there for our job! I mean, I still got rope burn from being tied to that crazy guy's bike!"

K.O. pouted indignantly. "But I can be extra careful going through the Danger Zone! I'm Level 3 now, and I am becoming a more capable hero each day!" he whined matter-of-factly.

"We know you're capable, buddy, but for instance, how will you even get there, K.O.? You don't have a car and I doubt your mom will allow you to go to the Danger Zone all by yourself!" reminded Enid.

"And Mr. Gar will blow his stack if we left our post to take you there!" added Rad.

Realization then finally struck the boy like a 200MPH freight train. So much so that the magnitude of his responsibility started taking a toll on his positive attitude. He withered on the ground, his eyes big and watery and his hopes and dreams shattered to bits.

"B-B-But…*sniffle*...Mr. Gar is c-counting on me with this special delivery!" he whimpered, "How c-can keep my promise if I can't even _get_ to the D-Danger Zone!?"

Before K.O. could even think about throwing in the towel, a messenger from the gods came down from the heavens to bless this child with the proper solution.

And by heavens, I meant the overhead air duct.

"Perhaps I can be of some assistance, my friend?" a young, nasally voice piped up as a familiar, goggles-wearing face revealed itself through air duct's open shaft. K.O. beamed with joy, he knew that voice anywhere!

"DENDY!" he cheered happily. The young kappa slunk out of the vents like a snake and slid towards her excited friend. "Are you saying that you can help me with my mission!?" he squealed hopefully.

Dendy gave K.O. her traditional V-shaped smile. "Indeed, my trusty colleague."

She then lifted her hand to reveal hovering, holographic schematics for a small, yellow sand-rail dune buggy on-screen, as well as its multiple features.

"You see, young K.O.," she explained, "For the past few weeks since Rad and Red Action had their race, I have been adding extra modifications to my go-kart, these mods including, but not limited to, an upgraded nitro boost system for extra speed, a conversion to the rocket launcher attachment to freely swivel the seat and launcher at 360 degrees, and lastly, fine-tuning the kart's gun system, resulting in faster firepower and less recoil. Quite frankly, with all these updates, we should be able to make _three_ consecutive trips to the Danger Zone and be back before 7:00!" She couldn't but to giggle once she saw K.O.'s brightening smile.

"So, you'll be able to take me there to deliver this package?" he asked with admiration. Dendy nodded.

"Of course I can, K.O.." smiled Dendy, "It would be selfish of me to not help my best friend with his important task!"

K.O.'s signature happiness had now returned in full force. Maybe he can keep his boss' promise after all! However, Enid and Rad were still unconvinced about this idea.

"Dendy, I'm still not sure that this will work…" said Enid, trying to be as authoritative as she can be, "You guys are kids, and the Danger Zone is not. For. _Kids!_ "

"Who knows what you'll go up against!? Scorpatrons, bikers, rogue robots, performance artists!?" added Rad, almost in panic.

"Pssh…" scoffed K.O. smugly and self-assuredly, "I can handle a few dumb bikers and robots. I'm sure even a Level 3 hero like me can brush off any danger that comes our way!"

"Besides," chimed in Dendy, "this venture could prove to be essential to give the kart's updated features a good test run! We can even depart now to get the job done and over with." Rad and Enid's eyes widened in shock.

' _Test run!?_ ' they both thought out incredulously. Was Dendy really gonna use this important and dangerous business trip to some unholy war zone of a city to test out the kart's new features!? With this bit of news now ringing in their minds, they were just about ready to strongly object to this ludicrous plan when K.O. was already flying out of the store with Dendy in hand.

"Then let's go! Bye-Enid-Bye-Rad-see-ya-guys-later-good-luck-with-the-big-sale-I-love-you-both- _Byeeeeeee!_ "

Soon enough, both kids jumped inside their trusty go-kart (Dendy at the wheel with K.O. working the rocket system on top of the buggy), and they quickly tore out of the parking lot, and out onto the open road leading towards the treacherous Danger Zone. Poor Enid and Rad gulped and looked at each other in worry. All they could was fretfully look on from the sidelines…

...and pray that Dendy and their little brother will make it out of the Danger Zone alive.

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**

* * *

 **And so begins their inevitable journey! Remember, reviews and advice are appreciated and welcome! See ya this Friday with Chapter Two!**

 **~Thunderbyrd**


	2. Chapter 2: Attack of the Scorpatron

**Nothing much to say about this chapter, but let's say that this is where the action finally starts, so let's get on with the adventure!**

 **OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes is owned by Ian Jones-Quartey and Cartoon Network. (I do not own any of its characters nor its properties. This is purely a non-profit story made for fun.)**

* * *

 **HIGHWAY TO THE DANGER ZONE**

 **CHAPTER TWO: ATTACK OF THE SCORPATRON**

The mid-afternoon sun was blazing down on the dusty, mountainous, and barren landscape that was the Danger Zone. Dilapidated and war-torn buildings still stood tall and strong across the desert horizon, with the streets below littered in trash, potholes, and busted up vehicles. The distant roar of the local mecha-sandworms echoed across the valley, the noise reverbing off of the mountains and volcanoes.

K.O. and Dendy had arrived past the county line connected between Neutral Territory and the Danger Zone limits, and were making great time. The package was stored securely in a small compartment of the buggy, just below the dashboard and in Dendy's line of sight. As the two best friends ventured on, they took some time to check out the scenery on their way, as well as other obstacles they managed to avoid, such as large piles of tires, rocks, construction signs, barrels of fuel, potholes the size of small children, and other chunks of debris.

Along the way, they even came across the large, long-dead husk of a mecha-sandworm sprawled across the road. Luckily, a massive gaping hole was wide enough for their vehicle to pass through, like a makeshift tunnel. Soon after exiting through the rusty remains of the sandworm, they turned onto a decrepit highway bypass leading towards their destination.

As the kept driving down the war-torn road, K.O. and Dendy kept themselves busy by chatting about their own past adventures.

"So you say you and the others have been here before to help your mother and Mr. Gar make sure their date went along without any trouble?" asked Dendy curiously.

"Yep!" chirped K.O., "I mean, we did have to fight a big ol' mecha-sandworm though, but even then, I can safely guarantee that both my mommy and Mr. Gar had the bestest time of their lives together!" He sighed happily, a dreamy look on his face.

Dendy smiled back. There was always something about K.O.'s love for helping out others that made her appreciate him ever so much.

They passed by a large, abandoned factory complex standing proudly alongside the highway. Aside from the hum of the kart's engine, the area was strangely quiet. Suddenly, K.O. hear something loud and thrashing from inside the factory.

 ***VROOOOOOM!* *WHOOOOSH!***

K.O. yelped in surprise. "W-What was that!?" he cried.

"What was what?" asked Dendy curiously. K.O. shifted his eyes around and coughed.

"I-I-I don't know...it sounded like something was coming from inside t-that factory!" he stammered.

"I'm sure it's nothing dangerous, K.O.. Besides, most of these buildings have been long abandoned for years." replied Dendy.

K.O. trembled in his seat, but tried to put on a brave face. "S-Sure, Dendy...l-let's just keep going…"

Dendy nodded and continued down the highway road. K.O. sighed nervously. It seemed that this delivery job may not be as easy as K.O. initially thought.

As they turned off of the highway, it would also seem that they failed to notice that, located on one of the hills behind the old factory, stood a mysterious figure watching them from afar. The figure quickly hopped inside his own vehicle and soon drove off in the kart's direction, kicking up a thick plume of dust behind him.

* * *

K.O. and Dendy's travels soon took them past through an old ghost town section of the Danger Zone. Small, abandoned shops and broken street lights lined the dusty road. The road itself looked more filthy and torn up here than it did on the highway, with trash, glass, and potholes covering the street.

K.O. gulped nervously as he took sight of his surroundings. He felt like he was in some weird post-apocalyptic western movie. He feared spiked even higher as he spotted a biker bar close ahead, which seemed also surprisingly busy, given the barren environment all around them. One of the patrons, a burly lavender-skinned mutant biker, stood outside and leaned against his motorcycle, sipping a soda. He glared at the two kids and crushed his soda can threateningly as he watched them scuttle by inside their kart.

"Uhh, Dendy? Are you sure that was are going the right way?" asked a concerned K.O..

"Precisely, K.O.." answered the young hacker, before glancing at the kart's GPS.

"The customer lives in a small shanty on 567 Quartey Street close by an abandoned housing area located approximately 16 miles northeast from where we are right now. If we keep moving at our current speed and follow the route exactly, we should be there in at least a half-hour."

K.O. looked at his watch. 3:00, it read. The young hero sighed in relief. If they keep this up, they'll have their package delivered well before the deadline. Maybe it looks like nothing was going to stop K.O.'s mission after all. Feeling slightly more at ease, he kicked back on his seat with a confident smile on his face.

"Ah, I tell ya, Dendy!" chuckled K.O., "The others will be so surprised to see us finish this delivery on time! Mr. Gar might see us as great heroes for escaping the Danger Zone without a scratch, and Enid and Rad will be so impressed by our bravery and strength! Looks like we're on easy street, eh?"

Dendy pursed her lips. "Actually K.O., according to the GPS, we are currently on Hodgson Street, due north to our destination."

K.O. sweat-dropped and gave an awkward smile at Dendy's innocent literal-mindedness. "Heh, heh...r-right…" he chuckled.

"But I agree," continued Dendy, "with our progression, our task will be deemed as successful in no time! So long as nobody tries to hinder our progress…"

I'm sorry to say though that they hadn't counted on what was to happen next.

They were a few miles away from exiting the ghost town when, all of a sudden, the patch of road just a few yards ahead of them wound up exploding in a big plume of grey dust. Thankfully, Dendy acted fast and slammed on the kart's brakes. The kart came to a quick stop and Dendy gasped frightfully.

"What in the name of Chekov's Gun was that!?" she exclaimed.

A pair of menacing, red eyes shone through the thick smoke, followed by a metallic snarl. Soon enough, the real cause of the explosion soon skittered out from the smoke and into clear view.

"It's a scorpatron!" screeched K.O.. Sure enough, a large, dark gray, and robotic scorpion emerged from the hole and scampered threateningly towards the duo, its metal claws snapping angrily. Its maw salivated at the two fleshlings before him.

K.O. trembled in his seat. Clearly this scorpatron was looking for nourishment. Dendy, however, analyzed the situation for their escape plan. Perhaps a quick getaway through the desert might help lose their predator?

Without hesitation, she grabbed the stick shift and quickly put the kart in drive.

"Hang on, K.O.!" she shouted, "Let's try and outrun this beast!"

K.O. complied and gripped the rocket launcher's controls for safety. Dendy wasted no time and slammed her foot on the gas pedal. She veered the kart to her left and they soon left the road and roared onto the sandy desert. The scorpatron, however, was too hungry to let its prey just up and leave, so it made haste and skittered quickly after them.

Dust kicked up everywhere as the little buggy tore its way through the sand dunes and brambles, but Dendy was determined to lose this beast and get to their destination safely. Unfortunately, the scorpatron was picking up speed quite easily, with it now being three car-lengths behind K.O. and Dendy. K.O. noticed this and made sure his warnings were very clear.

"Dendy! It's catching up!" he wailed fearfully.

Dendy nodded back. "Then we'll have to pour on the speed! Hang tight!" she shouted. Spotting a small red button on the dashboard, Dendy quickly pressed it and gripped the steering wheel.

"NITRO BOOST ACTIVATE!"

The roar of the little buggy's engine was as loud and angry as a mountain lion, with red, hot flames exploding from the tailpipe. Slowly enough, the kart gradually began to pick up speed. K.O. and Dendy cheered in triumph.

However, their joy and relief were short-lived when the nitro tank spluttered slightly and the kart's speed began to diminish.

Dendy's eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets. ' _We should be going faster than this! What is even happening?_ '

The kart was now running at its normal top speed, but the scorpatron was now managing to pick up speed to catch them. Dendy rapidly pressed the turbo button, her face wrinkled in fear and irritation, but still, nothing happened.

"Work, you rustbucket, _WORK!_ " she snapped, getting more fed up and anxious by the second.

She was so focused on why the turbo wasn't working that she almost didn't hear a distressed K.O. scream out to her.

" _DENDY, LOOK OUT!_ "

She looked back up to see that they were driving right towards a large cactus! Dendy shrieked horrifically and, acting fast, steered the kart to her right and roared out of the way just in time!

The hungry scorpatron, however, wasn't as quick-thinking as the duo, as it smashed right through the cactus like a runaway freight train. Surprisingly, this didn't seem to slow the metallic scorpion down even for a bit. Now covered in bits of cacti, the scorpatron gave out a spine-chillingly furious hiss and kept tailing its prey.

Soon, Dendy managed to drive back onto the nearby highway road with their beastly stalker following them. The young kappa looked back and sneered crossly at the robot scorpion. If they can't outrun this thing, it seems that vehicular warfare might have to be their best option.

"K.O.!" cried Dendy, "Use the rocket launcher to take that thing out!"

"Okay!" called back K.O., though he sounded somewhat unsure. He spied a small lever used to help swivel the launcher and the seat around, but suddenly, just as he pulled the lever, the seat began rapidly spinning around in circles. K.O. clung to his seat for dear life.

"D-D-D-Dendyyyy! S-S-S-Stop this c-c-c-c-crazy thiiiiiing!" wailed K.O. helplessly. Finally, the spinning came to a sudden stop. Poor K.O. nearly doubled over from his seat, but just as he shook away the dizziness, he realized something was wrong as he tried to aim the rocket launcher at their pursuer.

"The rocket launcher is stuck, Dendy!" he cried out, "I-I can't move it!"

"The launcher is WHAT!?" Dendy screeched incredulously. Sure enough, the launcher was facing towards the left side of the kart. K.O. tried desperately to free the launcher from its mooring, but nothing was working.

They didn't have enough time to dwell on that though when the kart suddenly jolted and nearly tipped over on its side. Dendy looked back to see that the scorpatron had fully caught up to the kids and was lashing its stinger against the body of the kart, as if to keelhaul it off the road. Dendy tried to turn the kart away from the beast, but it was no use as their predator quickly managed to grab the vehicle with its mighty claw.

Soon, with one mighty toss, the scorpatron sent the kart flying in the air like a baseball. K.O. and Dendy screamed helplessly as they were catapulted off the road and sent soaring above the Danger Zone highway. Dendy clutched herself from inside the kart's cab while poor K.O. was still outside trying to grasp the rocket launcher controls, as to not get sent flying away himself.

The kart began to descend from the sky towards the highway road, and with a massive thud, it slammed upright onto the road and spun out of control. The impact was hard enough for K.O. to finally lose his grip of the controls. He was propelled out of his seat and fell right onto the road with a painful groan.

Dendy, however, was still in the kart's canopy and tried to get control of her vehicle once again, but it was useless. The kart spun off the road and veered into a small sand dune, the impact causing a considerably big dust cloud.

Dendy coughed weakly. She tried to drive out of the dune, but it proved useless as the kart was now well and truly stuck.

The dust slowly began to settle. Getting her bearings straight, she slipped out of the kart to see that the kart's wheels were caked in sand and was trapped in a section of desert close by the road. She then noticed her closest friend lying painfully on the road and grew extremely afraid and concerned for her friend.

" _K.O.!_ " she cried out in worry, swiftly running up to him. She skidded to his body and cradled him carefully.

"K.O., are you okay?" she asked fearfully. K.O. coughed back in reply. While he surprisingly didn't seem to have any broken bones or a concussion, he still had bruises and cuts from the impact all over his body, arms, and even his head. He groaned as he tried to fight away the sore feeling to look up to his best friend.

"Y-Yeah...I-I think so…" he muttered meekly.

Dendy looked down at K.O. with a pitiful, guilty expression. She was just about to say something when an angry, metallic snarl sent her heartbeat racing.

They both looked up in horror to see that the scorpatron had finally caught back up to them. It clacked its claws at them in intimation and looked down at its prey with glowing, hellish red eyes as it skittered menacingly towards them. Its metallic jaw opened up, revealing its sharp, metal fangs, just ready to chow down on some flesh.

K.O. and Dendy shivered frightfully and hugged each other for protection. They were now out in the open and had no way to escape from this beast. And with their kart still stuck in the sand, they had no way to try and escape their predator again.

The scorpatron aimed its metallic stinger at the children and let out an ungodly roar. It was finally feeding time. The kids clamped their eyes shut and whimpered weakly, awaiting their fate.

Tears streamed down K.O.'s fear-stricken face.

" _Why'd I have to act so cocky?_ ' he thought sadly, ' _Why did I have to drag Dendy into this mess? Now, I'm gonna fail Mr. Gar and we're gonna be eaten by a scorpatron because of my stupidity! Enid and Rad were right, I should have known that the Danger Zone is not a place for kids like me…_ '

' _I'm sorry, Rad and Enid...I'm sorry, Mr. Gar...I'm sorry, Dendy…_ '

Then, just as the metal scorpion was ready to feast...everything seemed to happen at once...

 ***VROOOOM!* *PEW! PEW! PEW!* *KA-BOOOOM!* *HIISSSSSSSS!***

Another plume of dust kicked up around the duo as a cacophony of loud noises filled the air. Dendy and K.O. still clung to each other in surprise, they hadn't the foggiest idea on what was going on. They still almost expected the scorpatron to eat them, but just as they opened their eyes, all they could see was dust and smoke.

Soon, silence fell…

The dust parted away once again. K.O. and Dendy helped picked each other up and dusted themselves off.

"Are you okay, Dendy?" asked K.O. worriedly. Dendy nodded.

"I'm fine, K-OOOH, MY GOSH! LOOK AT THAT!" she cried out in sudden shock, pointing off to her left.

K.O. turned his neck to where Dendy was pointing and nearly stumbled back down on the ground from what they saw. Laying on its right side in a crumpled heap of metal, was the hungry scorpatron. They noticed three large holes present on the scorpion's underbelly, as if something shot it with a rocket.

Smoke and sparks billowed out of the holes. The beast's red eyes steadily flickered on and off, its face frozen in shock and pain. It tried to lift up one of its claws, but its CPU was beyond fried to try and compute anything. The explosion even managed to blow off its stinger, leaving it sprawled on the road, like a dead snake.

Soon, after emitting a croaking, metallic groan, the scorpatron's eyes went black and lifeless, as it finally went offline.

Both kids stared at their dead predator in stunned silence. The only sounds to be made were the distant cries of buzzards and cicadas. K.O. gathered enough courage to break the tension.

"W-W-What on earth just happened?" he gasped. Dendy was just as frightened as her cohort, but she still gave a thoughtful look towards the scorpatron's corpse.

"If I had to guess…" began Dendy, "Our predator was taken down by gunfire. The charred remains on the underbelly indicate that it was shot with a plasma blaster of some sort, and the trajectory of the blasts were close enough to strike directly at the scorpatron's glorb, or at the very least, cause its internal systems to short-circuit…"

"Okayyy…", replied K.O. awkwardly, trying to grasp Dendy's scientific jargon, "But who...or what would even shoot at this thing?"

"I'm not sure, K.O., but regardless, we need to continue on with our delivery if we...should…" Dendy trailed off. She looked towards the kart, deep in thought. K.O. trembled in confusion.

"D-Dendy?" he beckoned. Dendy ignored him. She ran towards the kart and quickly scanned around in the canopy.

"K.O.!" she called out worriedly, "We have another situation…"

The young boy ran beside her and looked inside the kart as well. It only took a few seconds of searching to cause K.O.'s blood to freeze.

" _Where's our package!?_ " he shrieked out in fright.

"It must have jostled loose from its compartment when we crash-landed on the road!" deduced Dendy, also looking shocked herself.

"Then we gotta find it!" K.O. answered back.

"Oh, I'm sorry, were you both looking for something?"

A suave-sounding, yet vaguely-familiar voice rang out from the distance. The two kids looked back at the source of the voice, looks of surprise, fear, and bafflement etched clear across their faces.

The unmistakable growl of a motorcycle engine roared across the Danger Zone valley, and then, emerging through the fading cloud of smoke, revealed a mysterious character driving a vintage, magenta-colored motorcycle chopper. The bike skidded to a halt before the duo.

K.O.'s eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. Even with the biker donning a matching pink, spiky biker helmet and a slick black leather jacket, K.O. could still recognize this biker's true identity...

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**

* * *

 **Oh geez, Rick, it's cliffhanger time! Who has saved our heroes from being scorpatron food? Is this newcomer a friend or foe? Find out when the next chapter drops on Tuesday!**

 **(Also, this fic will be four chapters instead of three...whoops!)**

 **~Thunderbyrd**


	3. Chapter 3: Ray and Jay

**Third chapter is up and we are gonna find out on whether or not this newcomer will be a hindrance to K.O. and Dendy's delivery job! Let's find out, shall we?**

 **OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes is owned by Ian Jones-Quartey and Cartoon Network. (I do not own any of its characters nor its properties. This is purely a non-profit story made for fun.)**

* * *

 **HIGHWAY TO THE DANGER ZONE**

 **CHAPTER THREE: RAY AND JAY**

The unmistakable growl of a motorcycle engine roared across the Danger Zone valley, and then, emerging through the fading cloud of smoke, revealed a mysterious character driving a vintage, magenta-colored motorcycle chopper. The bike skidded to a halt before the duo.

K.O.'s eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. Even with the biker donning a matching pink, spiky biker helmet and a slick black leather jacket, K.O. could still recognize this biker's true identity...

" _RAYMOND!?_ "

Indeed, sitting comfortably in his bike, was the fabulous, smug-faced, sports-loving BoxMore robot himself. He craned his neck towards the children, his trademark smirk glistening in the sun.

"Good afternoon, my little chick-a-dees!" he hummed, "Enjoying the lovely Danger Zone weather, are we not?" K.O. growled angrily, he really did not have time for this.

"What do you want from us, Raymond!?" snapped the boy, "Can't you see we're busy delivering a package!?" Raymond simply scoffed.

"On the contrary, shortstack, your shipment was the main reason why I even bothered tailing you two to begin with!" he stated in a smarmy voice. To make matters worse, he reached behind the bike to reveal something that nearly made K.O. have a stroke.

It was Mr. Gar's package!

K.O. snarled furiously, his face being as red as his headband.

"Give that back, you long-nosed chump!" he barked hostilely at him. He was just ready to beat down the robot 'til next week, but a worried Dendy managed to hold him back in attempt to calm him down.

"Why do you even want our package in the first place?" Dendy cried to Raymond.

"Well, let's just say that this package that you've meant to deliver holds sentimental value for us BoxMore robots. See, what you've been toting around for all this time were microchips, specifically microchips that were specially-crafted to be used to help function the CPU of your average, everyday robot…" explained Raymond.

"Microchips!?" echoed K.O..

"Indeed…" mused Raymond, "Lord Cowboy Darrell sent me personally to hijack your little package and send it back to BoxMore HQ to ensure that our little project goes underway, hence why I trailed you when you passed the old factory."

"Project? What project!?" snapped K.O.. Raymond scoffed again.

"Ha, _please_! As if I'm stupid enough to explain our brilliant plan to you. What do I look like to you, some sort of cliche?" K.O. snarled at the robot and clenched his fists even harder!

"You'll look like a pile of spare parts once I'm done with you if you don't give us back that box!" growled K.O. in rising fury. His fists clenched and shone a bright shade of blue, indicating that K.O.'s power-fist move was already charging up. Raymond chortled haughtily at the sight of this display.

"Oh, my! Seems I have struck a nerve with our pint-sized powerhouse! Ha-ha-ha! Oh, regardless, with your vehicle now out of service, there was no chance that you two could ever go up against my brawn and dashing good looks! Bwah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" Raymond's laugh grew louder and more condescending to the point that he thought he was going to short-circuit.

K.O.'s fists tightened harder as his power move kept charging in anger, but despite his situation, he couldn't help but to smirk right back at him.

"You forgot one thing, you bucket of bolts!" retaliated K.O., "There's two of us and one of you!"

Raymond harrumphed. Without warning, he quickly turned the bike around to show its right side, revealing a small sidecar attached to the bike. He turned back to K.O., a devious smile plastered on his face.

"Make that two against two, twerp...SHOW THEM, JAY!"

"YOU GOT IT, BIG GUY!" piped up a nasally, unfamiliar voice.

Just then, popping up from the sidecar, appeared a small, new robot that neither K.O. nor Dendy recognized. The newcomer looked vaguely similar to Jethro in a way, expect that this robot had a two-tone green color scheme, had small, gray arms, and a pink, spiked helmet matching Raymond's own. To make matters worse, the small droid, named Jay, seemed to be manning a small gun turret installed behind the sidecar, as well. He aimed the cannon towards straight towards the pair of children and got ready to fire.

"SAY GOODNIGHT, SHRIMP-O!" yelled Jay as he fired his turret.

Six plasma blasts shot sporadically out from the turret, aimed straight for K.O. and Dendy. Dendy crouched in fear, whimpering and expecting to be hit. K.O., however, stood strong and brave.

Dashing in front of Dendy in order to protect her, he reeled back a shining, blue fist and fiercely let out his battle cry.

" _POWER FIST!_ "

As fast as it happened, K.O. managed to punch away the blasts with little to no effort. With the gunfire now evaporated, the two kids were exhausted, but unharmed. Jay growled furiously in his sidecar, but still kept his stubby fingers on the trigger.

"EAT HOT PLASMA, PUNK!" he roared again. This time, he decided to take the kiddie gloves off, and with no remorse, a steadily barrage of plasma bullets rained from the turret. K.O.'s eyes widened, but he kept his stance and was ready to fight.

Then, power punch after power punch, K.O. was managing to block away every blast with his power move with the speed of a cheetah. Dendy kept herself shielded behind K.O., watching in awe as her ally punched away each incoming blast.

Eventually though, K.O. grew more tired after each connecting punch, and Jay's trigger finger grew sore and numb. Both parties stopped their flurry of bullets and punches to rest for a second, but K.O. and Jay still looked at each other with contempt. Raymond giggled deviously at this display.

"Well, I see that my personal minion has finally tired you out, small fry! Tsk, such a pity..." smarmed Raymond. "Alas, we must head back to BoxMore and bring Project: Armada into fruition!"

He was just ready to drive away, but Jay, looking very tired, yet still peeved and vengeful, had other plans in mind.

"Not until I turn these little brats into Swiss cheese!" snapped Jay crossly. He aimed the turret at K.O. and Dendy again, and with sadistic glee, ready to lay down some more heavy firepower.

Dendy looked at her friend in fright. K.O. was too worn out and weak to keep on blocking each blast. Plus, his power-fist move was running low on energy. Dendy's face grew brave and determined. Now was the time for appropriate action!

Acting fast, Dendy swiftly grabbed K.O. by his torso and hugged him tightly. Before K.O. can object or even say a single syllable, the loud, ratcheting sound of a turret firing sent him frozen in place.

Luckily, Dendy anticipated this. Charging up her feet and tightening his grip around K.O., her feet sparked loudly and brightly before she stomped on the ground and power-jumped high into the sky and away from Jay's line of fire, just in the nick of time.

Jay growled and aimed his gun straight in the air. Wasting no time, he began firing more and more plasma shots toward the falling duo, all while laughing sadistically like an absolute madman.

Dendy and K.O. managed to weave around mid-air, successfully avoiding the crossfire. Jay kept going on shooting in the sky before finally, an irritated Raymond smacked him upside his head.

"Stop this tomfoolery, Jay!" snapped Raymond. Jay ceased fire and shook his head before glaring at his larger partner.

"But, Ray, I wanna shoot something!" whined Jay crossly. Raymond roughly tossed the package in Jay's stubby hands.

"We already have acquired our quarry! We must make haste before they can get a chance to catch up." replied Raymond, revving his motorcycle. They tore down the road, package in-hand, but even then, they still couldn't help but to mock their falling friends.

"Have a nice fall, Lakewood losers! Toodle-loooo!" chortled Raymond. Now, with their payload acquired, Raymond and Jay drove off, laughing mockingly at their falling foes.

And just as were now driving miles away from the area, Dendy and K.O. had just landed safely on the ground, battered, but not fully beaten. K.O., despite being thankful to be saved, was growing more frantic and hysterical by the second.

"Oh, crackers, this is bad, Dendy! This is _really_ bad! Raymond's got our package, and if we don't get it back, he'll destroy the plaza! And then he'll attack Mr. Gar and Enid and Rad and all our other friends! And then when they're destroyed, and then after they blow up they'll probably come back as ghosts and haunt us for all eternity because we didn't save them, and Mr. Gar will be so disappointed in me, and then he'll...he'll...Dendy?"

K.O. snapped out of his hysterics long enough to clear his bearings, and find out that his friend was no longer standing next to him. Looking around, he finally noticed his best friend, sitting against the kart, all hunched over and hugging herself with her head hanging low. K.O. blinked curiously, a sad and confused look on his face.

He slowly walked up to his friend. "D-Dendy?" he beckoned softly.

No reply, just the sound of a soft sob. K.O.'s hysteria had now fully evaporated and was replaced with concern for his best friend. He carefully placed a comforting hand on Dendy's shoulder.

"Dendy? A-Are you okay?" he asked softly. Dendy sniffled pitifully.

"No, K.O., I am not okay in the slightest bit…" mumbled the sad kappa girl. K.O.'s eyes grew sadder by the second, now feeling guilty for thinking about some dumb package over his best friend's feelings. He rubbed her shoulder in hopes to calm her down.

"I-It'll be okay, Dendy. I'm sure we still have time to get Mr. Gar's package back from Raymond. We just need to use the kart and…"

" _THE KART IS USELESS!_ "

Dendy's outburst was so sudden that it sent poor K.O. tumbling on his bottom in surprise, the noise practically echoing in his head. Shaking away his stupor, K.O. gaped at Dendy worriedly. It was usually never like Dendy to be so distressed and brash.

Dendy sighed sadly, before calming herself down. "This is all my fault, K.O…."

K.O. blinked, "Wha-? What do you mean, Dendy?"

"If I didn't use this delivery trip as a way to test out the kart's updates, we wouldn't have been in our current predicament. Had I just tested these features before our adventure, our mission would have gone more successful. I thought that the kart would work exceptionally during our task as is, and now, thanks to my pride and hubris, we are stranded here in the Danger Zone, alone and unattended..." Dendy sniffled again before looking down at the ground.

"I'm so dreadfully sorry for everything, K.O….I ruined everything..."

Dendy sobbed once again, now more louder. Tears trickled down her reddened cheeks. The heavy feeling of letting down her closest friend felt like a vice gripping her body tightly.

Or, at the very least, _something_ was gripping her body. Rather tightly, in fact.

She picked her head up and looking through her watery eyes and tear-stained glasses, she saw K.O. defiantly and firmly hugging her, all while rubbing her back in comfort. K.O. sniffled softly, his head resting on her shoulder, before finally breaking the silence.

"D-Dendy...it's okay, really. Everything will be fine." he reassured in the softest voice he could muster. Dendy paused her sobbing to listen to her friend.

"Besides," continued K.O., "this whole thing was kinda my fault, as well…"

Dendy's eyes shot open. " _Your_ fault!?" she repeated in shock, "H-How is this your fault!?"

K.O. scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Well, I mean... _I_ was acting pretty cocky myself during this trip."

He broke the hug and sat next to Dendy, his expression looking slightly sad, as well. "I felt that I could prove to Enid and Rad that I can handle being in the Danger Zone by myself. I wanted to prove to Mr. Gar that I am a capable and responsible hero...but I guess I'm not…"

He sighed sadly, now feeling just as down as Dendy was earlier. Dendy stared at K.O., an unreadable expression plastered across her face.

K.O. was so deep in his sorrow, that he almost didn't feel Dendy grab his hand in a tight, but comforting grip. He looked over to his kappa friend, now sporting a warm, determined smile.

"You are wrong, K.O.. You are not by yourself on this journey. I may be not a high-ranked hero like Mr. Gar, but I am your best friend and your ally. On top of that, you are certainly a capable hero, and an even greater friend to your co-workers and myself."

She picked herself and K.O. back on their feet.

"I may have screwed up when I didn't test out my vehicle's updates, but even so, we still need to catch Raymond and retrieve our package back, whether the updates work or not. We just need to think smart about how to retrieve our package." explained Dendy.

K.O.'s eyes glistened in the sun with admiration, and now, putting on a brave and determined smile, he shook Dendy's hand and gave her a supportive nod.

"Let's get our package back, make this delivery, and save the plaza, Dendy!" rallied K.O., "For the plaza!"

"For the plaza!" cheered Dendy, now feeling vigorous and raring than ever before!

* * *

Raymond tore down the freeway ramp, on the road leading towards the Neutral Territory county line.

Jay sat in the sidecar seat, a grumpy expression on his mouth-less face.

"I still don't see why you couldn't just let me try to finish off those brats!" huffed Jay, "I know we are on a deadline, but I still wanted to shoot those twerps!"

"Their demise will come soon enough, little Jay…" replied Raymond haughtily, "I'm sure the others at BoxMore will appreciate getting to see K.O. join his plaza plebeians when they all perish once our new armada has been completed!"

"Which is why we couldn't have let them become food for that scorpatron?" asked Jay inquisitively.

"That scorpatron could have mistaken these microchips as nourishment, so I didn't want to take that chance and let him whisk away with our shipment..." explained Raymond. "And now, with these beauties now in our hands, we can use these microchips to help create our vastless armada, armed with enough firepower and strength to reduce Lakewood Plaza into a place that's just as toxic and inhabitable as this Cob-forsaken wasteland! Ha-ha-ha-haa!"

Jay rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, Captain Exposition…" muttered Jay tiredly as the motorcycle kept vrooming away from the highway and towards the open road, "I still wish I had something to shoot though…"

* * *

The little yellow buggy zipped down the road as fast as its little engine could go. K.O. and Dendy managed to dig out the kart from its resting place and they got it up and running again in no time. However, the nitro boost still seemed to be malfunctioning, and the rocket launcher's seat was still jammed in its own angle. Still, they had no time to dwell on that now as they zoomed down the dusty road leading towards their pursuers.

' _It's at least lucky that I put a tracker on the package, just in case if things go awry…_ ' Dendy thought to herself, as if she was trying to cheer herself up. As they vroomed under an overpass towering over the highway road, K.O. just had a brainstorm.

"Dendy, i just realized something! You said you also updated those guns on the kart, right?" asked K.O. curiously.

"Precisely, but much like the other features, I've yet to test the gun emplacement as well…" replied Dendy.

K.O. squinted his eyes in thought and scanned the road ahead. The highway was littered with rock, broken cars, and various other kinds of waste. Soon, an idea formed in K.O.'s mind and he gave Dendy a helpful smile.

"Maybe we can do some quick target practice and test these babies out?" offered K.O. kindly. Dendy looked back at K.O. and agreed him with a small nod, though despite the smile on her face, she felt a tad unsure. However, she figured best to just do it and see what happens.

Dendy spied a small pile of empty oil barrels blocking the section of road up ahead. She carefully eased the kart on the blocked lane, leading them on the straight path towards their obstruction.

She grabbed a small joystick placed next to her seat and soon, pressing a small red button, a steady stream of gun fire shot from the two guns placed on the front sides of the buggy. The bullets ripped through the barrels with no trouble and as the barrels soon rumbled out of the way and the kart zoomed by without a scratch.

K.O. and Dendy cheered in joy. However, before one of them had a chance to speak, they heard a small sputtering noise emitted from the guns. They quieted down and both noticed that the only thing the guns was spewing out was small puffs of smoke. Plus, the guns' grey hue was now a bright red color and they looked very hot.

K.O. looked very upset. "I...I guess that means the guns are kaput, eh?" he stated glumly.

"Hmmm...maybe not…" pondered Dendy. She waited a bit to see if anything else might change.

Twenty quiet seconds passed by until the gun barrels stopped pouring out smokes and seemingly started to cool down a bit. Dendy blinked, realization dawning in her mind. She pressed the trigger slightly, and soon, the gun began firing again. Dendy smiled and sighed in relief.

"The turrets seems to be operating well, K.O.! We just might have overheated it from prolonged usage of it!" called back Dendy. K.O. smiled back, but then, he got another thought crossing his mind.

"Sooo...if the gun can be overheated, does that mean that the turbo can also have that same problem!?" asked K.O. in curiosity. Dendy pondered once again.

"Quite possibly, my friend. The nitrous tank is filled to the brim, so its malfunctioning possibly isn't a matter of running out of fuel, but still, there is only one way to find out!"

Without another word, Dendy spotted the turbo boost button, looking at it in anticipation. Carefully giving the button a quick press, her stress turned into maximum relief as the kart's speed began to pick up, with the roaring sounds of the engine firing on all cylinders being the most wonderous sound that Dendy and K.O. have heard all day. Dendy looked back at K.O. and flashed a big smile.

"Your theory proves correct, K.O.!" Dendy cheered, her worries now long gone, even as the nitrous slowly began to fade away, "If we keep at this steady pace and use the nitrous only when charged up, we'll be able to catch up to Raymond and retrieve our delivery very soon!"

"Perfect, now let's get our package back!" whooped K.O., giving his best friend a thumbs-up.

Dendy nodded and returned the gesture. "For the plaza!" she replied happily.

The steady beeping of the kart's GPS caught Dendy's attention. She took a quick glance at the GPS, showing a small blip driving north on a small map of a highway. That was Raymond's signal!

"Raymond is 9.7 miles ahead of our location, heading northwest on the main highway!" reported Dendy. K.O. nodded and smile.

"Then let's do it!" added K.O. determinedly. Soon, Dendy activated the turbo boost again, which thankfully worked once again as they zoomed down the road and steered towards the on-ramp leading to Raymond's location.

" _FOR THE PLAZA!_ " came the proud, echoing cheers from our beloved duo, as they tore onto the freeway and towards their foe.

 **TO BE CONCLUDED...**

* * *

 **One more chapter to go and we'll finally see some real action between K.O. and Dendy against Raymond and Jay!**

 **Quick note in case if anyone was curious, in the mobile game's go-kart mini game, Raymond (nicknamed "Ray") was partnered with a small robot named Jay to act as an enemy against Dendy, hence why I gave homaged Raymond's design to match his look in the game.**

 **Please note that Jay's inclusion in this fic is meant to be an easter egg, if anything else, considering I haven't the foggiest idea if Jay or the other robots that haven't made to the show yet are gonna be canon in the show in future. In this story, we'll say that Raymond created Jay personally as a prototype minion to assist him in this mission (flimsy excuse of a headcanon, I know, but still…).**

 **See ya Saturday with our last chapter and remember, criticism and reviews are appreciated!**

 **~Thunderbyrd**


	4. Chapter 4: Road Warriors (Final Chapter)

**Final chapter is up, bois n' girls! Will K.O. and Dendy prevail and get their delivery job done? Will Raymond manage to escape this chase with his good looks and pride intact? Will Jay finish be able to shoot something? Let's find out in the last chapter to "Highway to the Danger Zone"!**

 **In response to Fangirlcartoon's review: I only meant that Jay's inclusion in this fic alone was meant to something of an easter egg, considering that he and a few other enemies (namely Sara, Tegan, etc.) from the mobile game have yet to appear in the show (that is to say if they ARE going to appear in the show). All my fics are purely headcanon, and I kinda wanted to put a character from the game in this story as sort of an homage towards said game. Sorry if there was any confusion!**

 **OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes is owned by Ian Jones-Quartey and Cartoon Network (I do not own any of its characters nor it properties. This is purely a non-profit fanfic made for fun.)**

* * *

 **HIGHWAY TO THE DANGER ZONE**

 **CHAPTER FOUR: ROAD WARRIORS**

Raymond and Jay were currently cruising down the highway, miles away from leaving the Danger Zone with their newly-required package safely stored away. Of course, while they had no idea that K.O. and Dendy were now hot on their own trail, Raymond still took the opportunity to gloat about his success.

"Ah, just think about, my sadistic little friend!" chortled Raymond, "Once we're back at BoxMore with our new payload, Lord Cowboy Darrell will have enough microchips to function enough robots to turn that lousy plaza into a parking lot! Thousands of bigger, stronger Jays, usurping the plaza and its patrons left and right! Oh, the thought of seeing our enemies crushed just makes my circuitry sizzle!"

Jay, however, wasn't impressed. "Your _gloating_ is the only thing making my circuitry to sizzle, Ray…"

"Tsk, such imputence. You may be a prototype, young Jay, but you will learn to appreciate the finer things in life, such as making sure Lakewood Plaza ceases to exist once we manage to build our armada." gloated Raymond evilly.

Jay rolled his eyes. "You're just lucky I like shootin' things, y'know that, Ray? I haven't even got a chance to turn those pint-sized punks into piles of ash…"

Raymond loftily chuckled. "In due time, Jay, in due time...besides it's not like those two are catching up to us. We already got those lousy Lakewood losers off our backs!"

* * *

"We are catching up to Raymond, K.O.! It'll be time to get that lousy BoxMore 'Bot off our backs!"

Dendy's vehicle tore down the dusty and derelict highway overpass at top speed. Despite being some miles behind Raymond's trail, the pair were still far from giving up. However, they knew there was only so much time until it was 7:00, so they had to act fast. Luckily, the nitrous was still managing up well, despite having to wait for it to charge up now and again, but still greatly helped their go-kart gain more headway onto catching up to Raymond and Jay.

K.O., however, was still trying to jostle the seat to move it at a better angle, but it was no use. He tried pulling the lever back and forth to free himself, he tried shaking the seat, he even tried pleading and saying "please" to the seat as if it was inanimate, but nothing happened. Dendy felt the kart shaking and wobbling from K.O. messing with the seat and grew worried.

"Everything okay back there, K.O.?" called Dendy.

"Err, the seat's still stuck, Dendy! I don't think I can move it anymore today!"

"Hmmm, is the rocket launcher still functional though?" she asked.

"Yeah?" replied K.O. confusedly.

"Well, since we can't risk shooting it at Raymond nor his vehicle without blowing up Mr. Gar's package along with it, given the chance, once we retrieve back the package, then we'll be able to freely use it when necessary..." explained Dendy curtly and thoughtfully.

"Although," she continued, "to be honest, I'm still unsure on how we can retrieve it to begin with…"

K.O. looked down at his feet, looking very meek and scared. Truly, they couldn't just simply take away the crate so easily and asking politely was _most certainly_ not even an option.

After putting on a brave face and taking in a deep breath, K.O. made his decision.

"I've got a plan to get back our package, Dendy! Let's catch up to Raymond first!" he stated. Dendy nodded back.

"Very well. Hang on tight!" said Dendy, flipping on the nitrous again, sending the kart zooming down the cracked and bumpy street and nearing closer to their enemies' location.

* * *

Not too long later as they passed by through an abandoned town district, it didn't take too long for the kart's GPS to finally beep and flashed a warning to the driver.

:PACKAGE DETECTED...SEVEN MILES AHEAD:

Dendy looked up. Sure enough, a moving cloud of dust was seen far up on the road ahead, with the angry sound of a motorcycle's engine rumbling in the air.

"Raymond's in sight, K.O.!" warned Dendy. K.O. nodded.

"Okay, now I need you to keep the kart steady. I'm gonna try and jump onto Raymond and see if I can distract him long enough, then I want you to go alongside and see if you can snatch back our crate!"

While it could have been because of all the dust and dirt in the air, upon hearing that statement, Dendy choked and coughed in unexpected shock.

"I beg your pardon!?" she cried out, "You realize that those robots are dangerous, right?"

"Dendy, trust me…" coaxed K.O., "I handled Raymond before in the past, remember?"

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean he still isn't a threat! Plus, that new robot he's partnered with nearly turned us into Swiss cheese!"

"We have no choice, Dendy!" retorted K.O., "Like you said, we can't risk destroying or losing our package again...I can do this, Dendy, just please trust me!"

Dendy hesitated for a minute, her face contorted into a mix of grief, fear, and indignation. Finally, she let out a pitiful sigh and pressed her foot more on the gas pedal, getting them closer to Raymond's bike.

"Very well…" she mumbled unsurely.

The go-kart hummed closer and closer behind Raymond's vehicle, as if to try and sneak up to them as quietly as they could. Thankfully, Raymond was too busy gloating and chortling to notice his new tailgaters.

Jay, however, was practically dead tired of his partner's yapping and was itching to blow something up already. Before he can try and block out more of Raymond's boastful ranting, Jay caught something tall and brown reflecting on one of the motorcycle's sideview mirrors.

He craned his neck back to see a bright yellow go-kart following a few meters behind them! Dendy realized that they were caught and gulped nervously, but K.O. stood up from his seat and, balancing himself carefully, he stepped onto the kart's roof, ready to make his leap of faith. Jay's eye twitched as he felt his robotic heart rate increasing with fear.

"WE GOT INTRUDERS, RAY!" yelled Jay, pointing to the kart now inches away from behind their bike. Raymond swung his head back and snarled.

" _WHAT!?_ " he shrieked fiercely, his eyes bulging out of their metal sockets.

He hadn't the time to react properly though as K.O. willfully jumped off for his seat and grabbed hold onto Raymond's nose. With the speed of a caffeine-induced Tasmanian Devil, K.O. (who was practically foaming at the mouth in anger) managed to crawl, grab, and jump around Raymond's face, trying to attack him with punches, kicks, scratches, and even _biting_ him! Raymond shrieked and tried helplessly to claw off the young boy off his face, but K.O. was too fast and strong and unwilling to give up.

It was enough for Raymond to lose control of his bike as he swerved across the other lanes of the highway, with Jay trying to keep himself and their stolen package safe in the sidecar. Dendy, however, was still a few feet behind the out-of-control motorcycle, watching it veer from one lane to another with K.O. brutally trying to make Raymond stop his vehicle. Even if K.O. insisted on doing this plan, Dendy still felt scared and worried for her best friend, but still continued following

" **GET OFF MY BEAUTIFUL FACE, YOU COMMONER!** " spat Raymond defiantly. K.O. was still busy trying to punch his face before finally saying something coherent back to his foe.

"GIVE US OUR PACKAGE!" he demanded back, just as angrily towards the BoxMore robot.

Then, as if to make sure he was serious, K.O. opened his jaw wide and without warning, he unforgivingly _chomped down_ on Raymond's nose as hard as he could.

A still silence occurred at first, until finally…

" _ **EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKK!"**_

The horrified, though certainly unmanly shrieks of a hurt Raymond were, by far, the loudest noise that ever happened in the Danger Zone, even more so than any loud explosion or gang war combined, and unfortunately for Raymond, K.O. wasn't planning on letting go anytime soon.

" **GET-OFF-GET-OFF-GET-OFF-GET-OFF-GET-OFF-GET-** _ **OOFFFFFFFFFF**_ **-JAY-FOR-THE-LOVE-OF-BOXMORE-** _ **DO-SOMETHING-PLEASE!**_ "

Amidst Raymond's loud, pitiful cries for help, Jay managed to break from his shocked stupor long enough to act fast and pick up his turret gun. Thinking more quickly rather than smart, he aimed it straight towards K.O. (and to an extent, Raymond's whole head) and was ready to fire, his wishes for ending this little brat now being fulfilled.

The priming, whirring noise of a plasma gun charging up caught both K.O. and Raymond's attention. Raymond's eyes grew large and fearful as the turret was directed right towards his scratched and banged-up head.

" **NOT AT ME, JAY! _NO!_** " he screeched. K.O. took his chance to strike and jumped off of Raymond's head and lunged straight for Jay and his package. The little robot minion screamed in horror upon seeing the young hero and basically slingshot his way inside the sidecar and began wailing on Jay as well, with poor Raymond still driving erratically across the Danger Zone highway.

The chaos was rough enough to cause Jay's plasma turret to unhinge from its mooring and fall out of the moving bike and land onto the road with a loud clunk. Dendy, still following Raymond a few feet behind, sadly didn't react fast enough to avoid this new obstruction and without any form of care, she promptly ran over the mini-gun fast enough to leave a large, flat dent on the turret's barrel, hard enough to now deem it as non-functional. The go-kart nearly tipped over due to the impact, but amazingly, it still soldiered on after its pursuer, with a determined Dendy still behind the wheel.

The dust cloud soon cleared up with K.O. reigning victorious, now holding down a scratched-up and dizzy Jay in his seat and waving back to Dendy, their package finally back in their own possession!

"Dendy! We got the package! Hurry up!" called out K.O.. Dendy nodded and without hesitation, she flipped on the nitro boost again and the buggy shot down the road with blazing speed.

In no time, Dendy glided next to Raymond's sidecar close enough for K.O. to hop back on. K.O. was just ready to get back onto his own vehicle when he felt a rough tug on the back of his work vest.

He looked back and gasped fearfully to see Raymond grabbing his vest. His once-beautiful face was covered in scratches, dents, scuff marks, and was leaking a little oil. His nose was now partially crooked and had prominent teeth marks left on its bridge. Raymond looked at K.O. with red, rage-filled eyes, his breathing heavily and almost barbaric.

"Not so fast, you puny purloiner...we are _not_ leaving this godless, lawless dump of a desert without our shipment, so you better wise up and…"

"HANDS OFF MY BEST FRIEND!"

Before Raymond could finish his threat, he felt his motorcycle impact with something on its right side, before he veered the vehicle to the left a bit. However, it wasn't enough before Dendy fiercely rammed the kart against the bike yet again, giving K.O. enough leeway to jump back onto the kart and maneuver himself back into the launcher's seat again, his package now held firmly in his hands.

Then, Dendy steered the kart onto the right lane and flew down the street, ahead of the BoxMore 'Bot's motorcycle. Raymond snarled in fury and poured on the speed as well, now starting to catch up to the Lakewood heroes.

K.O. looked back and gasped. "Dendy, they're catching up! Should I use the rockets to shake them off of us!?" he warned out.

"Possibly, but if the controls are still stuck in their current angle, we won't be able to get a clear shot!" replied Dendy, her mind flowing with possible plans to try and outrun their robotic rebels.

Then, just as they were now entering an old industrial section of the Danger Zone, an idea fizzed in her mind.

Towards her left side and resting on a small hill just up ahead, she saw an old factory a few miles down the road, along with two large brick-made smokestacks standing tall and proud in the sky above them. Dendy quickly got to thinking. Perhaps if timed it right and with the rockets launched at a good angle against the factories' smokestacks, they could provide an obstacle to help slow down or stop Raymond in his tracks?

Only a test run could deem her plan as worthy enough to work…

"K.O., listen to me!" called out Dendy firmly, "When we reach that factory up ahead, on my signal, when I say 'Go!', I want you to immediately shoot straight towards those smokestacks! We're gonna try and block Raymond's path if we can get fast enough!"

K.O. nodded and put on a brave face. "Okay, Dendy!" he confirmed right back, "I trust you!"

With nothing else to say or lose, Dendy activated the nitrous yet again and flew down the road at its top speed, leaving an angry Raymond in the dust. The factory drew nearer and nearer with each passing second.

" _ **GO!**_ "

Time seemed to slow down for K.O. and Dendy, while everything else seemed to happen all at once for poor Raymond and Jay. K.O. wasted no time firing a rocket against the smokestacks, luckily landing its mark and managed to blow apart the base for the stacks, with the first smokestack beginning to fall down first, facing down onto the highway. K.O. and Dendy drew ahead and sped down the road and out of the way.

"Target is hit, Dendy!" confirmed K.O. happily to his partner as they safely left the area.

Raymond and the barely-conscious Jay, however, looked up to see a large smokestack rumbling down towards them. Screaming in absolute terror, Raymond tried picking up some speed as they both tried to steer clear of the falling spire above them.

However, they only manage to outrun it enough to avoid being flattened, but even then…

 ***KA-BOOOOOM!***

...the thunderous impact of the smokestack crashing on the road behind was enough to produce a tremor strong enough to throw Raymond and Jay off balance and cause them to tumble out of their bike and land roughly on the road ahead. Dust flew everywhere and the fallen stack was now reduced to a long pile of bricks.

An eerie silence fell upon Raymond...

His vision blurred and his processors and servos ached like no tomorrow. All he could see in front of him was his smashed motorcycle tipped over on its side a few feet from his body, along with Jay's stubby body passed out close by said motorcycle.

All the sports-loving and passionate android could only groan in defeat, but before he could even think about anything else, he heard another ominous noise ringing inside his audio receptors.

 ***GRRROOOOOOOOAAAAAANNNNNNNNN!***

As soon as Raymond finally sobered up and got all his senses working again, he noticed the second smokestack beginning to fall down itself, complete with a loud, long groan that sent shivers down Raymond's metal spine.

Especially so when he found out that the stack was aimed straight down towards Jay's limp body…

Raymond broke into hysterics and tried reaching out to his minion. Unfortunately, he was too weak and dinged up to function properly, so all he could do was try and warn Jay of his impending doom.

" _JAY! MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!_ _ **NOW!**_ " he screamed out worriedly.

Gaining consciousness, Jay finally lifted his cylindrical body, feeling dizzy and woozy from the collision, unaware of what was happening at this very moment.

"Ugh, what'd you say, Ray-"

 ***KA-BOOOOOOOOOOOMM!***

As fast as it happened, nobody had time to react properly to this as Jay and Raymond's motorcycle now suddenly vanished in a cloud of dust upon the second smokestack's impact, leaving only another heap of dusty old bricks in its wake.

Raymond gawked at this sight with horrified eyes. Unable to try and save his little partner, even if was a sliver of a chance that he was still functional, Raymond could only muster the strength to choke back a sob before falling back down on his dented body.

His failing internal systems still didn't stop him from vengefully glaring up at the sky, as if the gods were mocking him for his blunder.

"Grrr...well played, Lakewood losers…well played..." he grumbled softly, before his systems soon began to shut down altogether and his body went limp.

* * *

Miles ahead from the scene of destruction, K.O. looked back to see a plume of dust waft about in the sky behind him, as well as no sign of Raymond or Jay in sight. He breathed a sigh of relief and gripped Mr. Gar's package against his chest.

"Looks like we lost them, Dendy!" confirmed K.O. in solace.

Dendy nodded back and smiled, "Now we can focus on delivering our package and getting our task finished on time!" she clarified happily. "How much time do we have left?" she added.

K.O. looked towards his watch and felt his heartbeat spike in surprise.

"It's 6:20, Dendy! We've got 40 minutes to get to this guy's house to make our delivery!" cried K.O. in warning. Dendy licked her lips in thought and check her GPS. They were still heading northwest down the road where the housing area was located, but they were still quite a few miles away from their destination.

' _Maybe it would be faster if we took a shortcut through the desert again?_ ' pondered Dendy. The kart's wheels and chassis were certainly resilient enough to handle the harsh Danger Zone desert, but they would still have to be careful about trying to avoid other obstacles, like rocks and cacti and such.

Plus, going through the desert itself was practically a straight route towards the house, as opposed to going on numerous highways and turns to try and reach the road.

Ready to bring her plan into action, she gripped the steering wheel and put on a bold, daring face, her glasses shining with determination.

"Hang on tight, K.O.! We're going off-road again!" she yelled out. K.O. nodded and clutched the crate tighter against himself for protection.

Dendy veered the kart on the sandy desert land and with nothing left to lose and no time to waste, the little go-kart poured on the speed and dashed down the Danger Zone desert, kicking up dust in its wake. Surprisingly, they didn't have to avoid many objects stuck in their way, aside from the odd boulder, cactus, destroyed car, or the dead husk of a scorpatron that was littered across the barren landscape.

They soared over sandy dunes, glided down steep hills, and roared through mountains and inactive volcanoes, dead set to finish their important job for the sake of Mr. Gar and his bodega. The blazing sun was starting to settle down for the evening, turning the yellow sky into a beautiful shade of orange and purple.

Soon, they were nearly halfway towards their journey's end as K.O. saw a row of old houses sitting on a far-off hill peeking out from the horizon some miles ahead of them. He could already feel the taste of victory tingling his taste buds as they soon drove out of the valley and continued down the hill towards their destination.

"We're nearly there, Dendy! We're so close!" squealed K.O. delightfully, hugging his package with glee.

"Indeed, K.O., though I would suggest that you try and keep yourself and our package firmly in your seat just in case…" added Dendy matter-of-factly.

K.O. raised a confused eyebrow. Somehow, he didn't like that sound of that.

"How come?" he ventured carefully.

Dendy pointed towards her front. "Look ahead…" she stated.

K.O. did as such and nearly had a heart attack seeing what was in their path...

A long, wide, and deep ravine was waiting for them both just below the end of the hill! And with their kart going at its top speed, there still wouldn't be a good chance to jump it safely.

K.O. trembled and continued clutching the crate to his body protectively. "Wh-Wh-What are we going to do, Dendy!" he wailed to his comrade.

Dendy scanned the road ahead to see if something can help them out. Luckily, as the valley walls around them began parting away, she saw something standing before the ravine that might help them out...

A large crooked, demolished billboard was leaning against a large rock, with the board slanting upwards at an obtuse angle. It was basically a makeshift ramp! Dendy smiled and kept her finger lingering over the nitro boost button.

" _HANG ON, K.O.!_ " shouted Dendy in warning. K.O. obeyed her and crouched in fetal position, protecting himself and his package as the kart roared down the hill and towards the chasm.

Finally, after what felt like hours passed by, Dendy timed her actions and just as their kart reached the ramp, she activated the nitro boost and soon enough, they were sent flying into the air and soared above the sharp rock-filled ravine like a proud eagle.

Both kids screamed in fear, as if everything was in some cheesy action-film slow-mo scene. However, reality began to set it as they kart descend down towards the safe ground with a thud and kept driving on. K.O. and Dendy opened their eyes and seeing that they managed to escape their fate, they both laughed joyfully and excitedly inside their vehicle.

"WE DID IT! _WE DID IT!_ " cheered K.O. uproariously, his package still safely in his trembling hands.

"LET'S GET THIS JOB DONE!" whooped Dendy, stepping harder on the gas and towards their final destination.

" _FOR THE PLAZA!_ "

* * *

Soon, a little later, the kart came to a quick stop in front of a small, rickety, and dirty looking shack standing alone on an empty-looking street. K.O. looked around the area checked his watch again.

'6:47', it read. Thirteen minutes before the deadline. K.O. smiled and breathed in a calm sigh.

"567 Quartey Street...this must be it..." he said to no one in particular.

He then hopped down from the launcher seat, package cradled safely in-hand, and walked towards the front door. He was about to knock when he spotted a note taped to the door. K.O. looked up and read the note to himself.

'To the feller that's deliverin' my package that I ordered from Mr. Gar's, I am out of the house right now, so please place it in the mailbox for now. Thank ya, Uh-hyuck! ~C.W.'

Shrugging softly to himself, he placed the crate inside the old mailbox out front and waltzed back to the kart. Dendy hopped out of the driver's seat, a big smile on her face.

"Well, K.O., I'd say despite our multiple distractions and obstacles, our mission proved to be successful!" she declared happily. K.O. giggled giddily at this news, ran up to Dendy, and gave her a thankful hug.

"Thank you so much for everything, Dendy! You're such an awesome friend!" he cheered, his once-established fear and worry now dissolved into pure relief and bliss. Dendy giggled and hugged K.O. right back.

"It was my pleasure, K.O., really...I'm just sorry that my failure to duly experiment with my vehicle's new updates have caused a hindrance into our mission. Once we get back to Lakewood, I'm going to fine-tune the kart's glitches and give them a more proper test run before our next kart-related misadventure…" stated Dendy earnestly.

K.O. smiled sweetly at his friend, "It's okay, Dendy…" he reassured softly, "We all make mistakes sometimes and we got the job done on time…"

He paused, his smile now faltering slightly before he finished his sentence.

" _I'm_ sorry I was in over my head during this journey though. I should have taken Enid and Rad's warnings to heart…" admitted K.O. in a soft, guilty tone. Dendy looked towards her friend with confused eyes as K.O. continued speaking.

"I'm...uh...also sorry if I forced you onto this trip, Dendy...I knew you were trying to help, but…"

"K.O…." Dendy interrupted softly. K.O. looked at his kappa friend, whom was now sporting soft, kind eyes at him, "You didn't force me on this trip. I was _willing_ to help you out, because you are my closest and bestest friend! Allies like us should stick together through and through...even a strong and helpful hero like _you_ should know that!"

K.O.'s reply was a blushing, touched smile, before capping off his happy mood with an awkward cough.

"So, I guess this trip acted as a learning experience for both of us…" commented K.O.. Dendy blushed and scratched her head in embarrassment.

"It would appear so…but in the end, it doesn't mean that it wasn't an eventful journey, nonetheless..." she replied, chuckling softly.

K.O. joined in on the awkward giggling, "I guess not! Heh-heh-heh..." he replied.

Soon, with that bit of awkwardness aside and their job finished successfully, the duo jumped back inside their kart and were ready to head back to the relatively-quiet town of Lakewood.

"Ready to go home, best friend?" asked K.O. from up in his seat.

Dendy smiled down from the driver's seat and flashed a thumbs-up.

"Ready, best friend!" she replied jovially.

And now, sharing a good-natured laugh, they soon cruised on down the road in their yellow go-kart, ready to tell their friends about their wild and unforgettable journey while on the highway to the Danger Zone...

* * *

A few minutes later, walking down the dusty street, the homeowner finally arrived home, feeling tired but content. He scanned inside the mailbox and upon seeing his recently-delivered package inside, he broke into joyful and goofy giggles.

"D'oh-ho-ho-ho-hoooo!" he guffawed delightfully, now clutching the package against his furry, purple stomach. "I thought my package would've never arrived!"

Skipping back into his dirty hovel of a home, he promptly rushed into the tiny living room, cracked open the crate, and poured the microchips into a small glass bowl, all while humming a jaunty tune. Then, he went into his small kitchen, opened the microwave, and began heating up a small can of cheese sauce.

Soon, with all his items in-hand, he then grabbed his contents and sat down on a ratty-looking recliner and just as the clock struck 7:00, he turned on his television set, currently playing an old, sappy, romantic soap-opera. The homeowner then took the can of melted cheese and willingly poured it over the microchips, coating the fresh and now-ruined circuitry pads in hot cheese sauce.

Salivating and content with life, the homeowner then took a cheese-glazed microchip and happily ate it with a loud crunch. He laid back on his chair and gave out a content sigh.

"Uh-hyuck! Nothing sure beats eating nachos while watching my favorite programs!" declared the furry housekeeper, now happily munching away on a fistful of "nachos" without a single care in the whole wide world.

Yep, today sure was a good day to be Crinkly Wrinkly...

 **THE END**

* * *

 **So in the end, K.O. and Dendy's mission was a success and they learned some good old life lessons, Raymond and BoxMore's plan of a robotic revolution are thwarted, and ol' Crinkly Wrinkly is eating microchips for a snack! Good times all around, my dudes! :D**

 **Thanks for sticking around and reading "Highway to the Danger Zone", folks! Tune in early next week when I finally branch away from OK K.O. and make another shipfic (hopefully one that's better than "Stuck in the Midriff with You") based upon another one of my favorite shows!**

 **Until then, see you at the Falls next week, everybody and have a lovely weekend! 3**

 **~Thunderbyrd**


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